Bert's Alerts - March 6, 2015
In the Spotlight
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) is launching a new campaign – Upgrade U.0 [you-point-oh!]! The campaign is the result of collaboration and input from current and future students on visual elements and messaging points that resonate with them. The recruitment activities are kicking off this weekend with the new Upgrade U.0 campaign elements.
News Highlights
Ceramic Artist Featured in CWI’s Visiting Artist Series
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is excited to welcome ceramic artist Alison Reintjes to campus, March 12-14, as the next guest in its Visiting Artist Series. On Thursday, March 12, Reintjes will give a public lecture beginning at 6 p.m. with a reception planned immediately following her presentation. She will also lead a hands-on workshop Friday and Saturday (March 13-14). Materials will be provided and the workshop is free to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. All events will be held in room 206 of CWI’s Nampa Campus Academic Building.
Reintjes lives in Missoula, Mont. Her work includes functional objects, wall based sculpture, and design concepts. She first moved to Montana in 2001 for a residency at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts. Reintjes studied at Kent State University, the Canberra School of Art in Australia, and Northern Michigan University. She has completed numerous residencies, taught widely, and exhibited both nationally and internationally.
For more information please contact Goran Fazil at goranfazil@cwi.edu or Brenda Fisher at brendafisher@cwi.edu.
CWI Launches New Law Enforcement Program
College of Western Idaho (CWI) has announced it is accepting applications for a new Law Enforcement program, which has been approved by the Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council. The program, which is part of CWI’s Professional Technical Education division, will welcome its first class of students in the fall 2015 semester.
All classes will be taught by certified POST academy instructors at CWI’s Canyon County Center in Nampa. Retired Nampa Chief of Police, LeRoy Forsman, has been appointed Program Chair.
Through the program, students can choose to complete a two year Associate of Applied Science degree or an 11 month technical certificate. The program will offer two areas of concentration; patrol officer and jail. Because of the POST designation, graduates from CWI’s Law Enforcement program will not be required to complete basic police academy training prior to challenging the POST certification exam.
“CWI will provide students with a top quality education while preparing them to enter the law enforcement field with a strong skillset,” says Forsman. “Law enforcement agencies throughout the region have a need to fill open positions. Our goal at CWI is to provide these agencies with educated, well trained people who will be the next generation of peace officers.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of patrol officer jobs is projected to grow six percent from 2012 to 2022, both in Idaho and nationally. Similarly, correctional officer and jailer jobs are expected to see a five percent increase during the same period.
CWI plans to accept 25 students into the program each fall semester. May 1 is the application deadline for the fall 2015 class. All Law Enforcement program applicants are required to complete an extensive back ground check and a competitive entry application, in addition to applying to CWI for general admission. Students may start the program prior to 21 years of age, but must be 21 to test for fitness, firearms, and the POST exam.
CWI will host information sessions on March 18 and 19 for anyone interested in learning more about the program. Visit cwi.edu/program/law-enforcement for more details on the information sessions and the program.
Upgrade U.0 Campaign Unveiled by College of Western Idaho
College of Western Idaho has launched a new college-wide marketing campaign – Upgrade U.0 [you-point-oh!], which focuses on connecting people to life upgrades achievable through higher education. Upgrade U.0 plays off the constant technology upgrades promoted to people every day. Who doesn’t want “the latest-and-greatest?” From new technology to better equipment and faster processes, it seems the focus is always on what’s next; but despite a desire for constant upgrades of the material gadgets in our lives, we often neglect the personal knowledge upgrades we need to stay sharp and marketable. CWI’s Upgrade U.0 campaign uses familiar technology lingo as a way to communicate the benefits of college.
The people illustrations in the campaign represent CWI student personas who are benefiting from “upgrades” at CWI. From a student graduating high school unsure of his future, to a recent graduate with a long road of college ahead, to an older adult looking to update her skills in support of a career change; CWI connects with the “you” of now and offers an Upgrade U.0 – the new version of you.
The messages speak to those interested in earning an associate degree, a professional certificate, or targeted training courses to improve specific skills. Some of the campaign’s new taglines include:
- Boost Your Knowledge
- Power Your Potential
- Recharge Your Career
CWI is built upon the idea of serving students who take an active role in this idea of personal upgrades. It should come as no surprise; after all, community colleges are open access, inclusive, and market driven. The very nature of a community college lends well to serving a melting pot of diverse individuals gathering to complete extraordinary journeys and upgrade their lives.
With tuition nearly half the cost of public four-year universities and a third the price of private institutions, an upgrade at CWI is a great value. For people still searching for direction the cost makes it an ideal environment for discovery. Whether transferring to another college or into a career, CWI is the smart way to upgrade.
For more information on your personal Upgrade U.0 visit www.collegeofU.com.
Tech Talk: Moving Data and Email, Colleague Update
Office 365 Migration
CWI's email migration is almost complete with over 1000 accounts having been migrated! All staff accounts have been successfully migrated. All faculty account migrations will be completed this weekend.
Data Center Move
The plans for moving all of our data center services are moving along quickly. We are on schedule to move all of the equipment starting the afternoon of March 21. Once we begin the move all central services such as Colleague, Blackboard, MyCWI, File shares, and VPN will be unavailable for approximately 24 hours. IT will be working through the night disconnecting, moving and installing about 30 devices that make up the core network and servers.
Colleague User Interface Update
This Sunday, March 8, IT will be implementing the Colleague User Interface 4.5 update. Monday morning users will see an updated look to the user interface but it will maintain the same functionality.
